Animation

Animation

At dictionary.com, it is stated that animation is "the art or process

of preparing animated cartoons, an animated cartoon". According to

Collins dictionary, animation is a "technique of making cartoon

films". Cartoons are not only a way of entertaining us; they are a

form of expression. They can express emotions, points of view and

criticism. As some one once said: "it doesn't matter what you say, but

how you say it".

Cartoons date back to the days of Benjamin Franklin, where they were

mainly used to express political points of view. Their use as a daily

commentary did not begin until the end of the nineteenth century, when

advances in technology made it possible to reproduce drawings without

the complicated process of creating woodblock engravings. Until the

1880s political cartoons were limited to weekly and monthly magazines.

All this was changed on October 30, 1884, when the New York World

published a cartoon by Walt McDougall. The cartoon showed a dinner

held the night before honouring Republican presidential candidate

James G. Blaine. The cartoon was printed across the full width of the

front page of the paper under the heading "The Royal Feast of

Belshazzar Blaine and the Money Kings." The cartoon created an

immediate sensation.

One can trace the history of political cartooning from the beginning

of the nineteenth century. At the end of the century political

cartoons were one of the most popular and influential features of the

daily press. Cartoons were also used to portray political leaders,

issues, and world events during the first decades of the twentieth

century. More than a century after their in...

... middle of paper ...

...to criticize society and people via comical means. This way,

the reader is not offended as much if the comment is a direct

criticism to a certain aspect of them.

Animations and cartoons are not as simple as one might think they are.

Some spawn very profound themes whilst other criticize aspects of our

lives. There is a variety of genres and themes for almost each type of

audience, but their greatest importance is that of making us laugh. We

live in a world full of stress, worries and despair, where laughing

becomes harder every day. Laughing can temporarily take us away from

these problems, giving us strength to continue living in this havoc we

call life.

Sources:

Animated Dreams (www.animateddreams.com)

Collins Dictionary

Dcitionary.com (www.dictionary.com)

Google search engine (www.google.com)